


Yankee Doodle Snack Cake

by CrackingLamb



Series: Junkyard Additions: A Series of Holiday Related Stories [7]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: 4th of July, Childbirth, F/M, Family Fluff, if you're reading this anywhere other than ao3 it's been stolen, please report it thanks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 04:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19659931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrackingLamb/pseuds/CrackingLamb
Summary: The day has finally arrived.The Howard-Hancock family is about to get bigger.





	Yankee Doodle Snack Cake

It was already hot when Nora woke. Her back ached, her feet felt like lumps and she could barely breathe anymore. She hauled herself up and to the edge of the bed, the oversized shirt she used to sleep in sticking to her in the early July warmth even at the crack of dawn. The cool stones of the Castle no longer helped keep their quarters comfortable. To her at least.

“Please tell me it's almost over,” she begged her belly, cradling it as she stretched out the last of the sleep kinks. Hancock mumbled behind her, still asleep and tangled in the sheets. She passed a fond gaze over his back as he sprawled on his stomach, faintly envious that he could do that when she so clearly could not. Before she could turn back around and stand up, however, a sharp pain raced across her belly to her back.

She'd noted that she had these types of pains often in the last few weeks. But this one felt different, somehow. More...urgent.

“Hancock,” she called to her sleeping husband, remarkably calm even though her heart raced. _This is it_ , she thought.

“Mmph,” he replied, burrowing deeper into his pillow as if subconsciously he already knew.

“John!”

“Huh? What is it?” He rolled towards her – she could hear it, plus his hand flung itself against her back. “Somethin' wrong, Sunshine?”

“I think...I think I might be going into labor.”

“Shit...now?!”

She let out a laugh and shook her head. “Did you think I was going to be the size of a whale forever?”

“You ain't...fuckit.” She heard the sheet being thrown back and heard his feet hit the stone floor before he rushed around their bed to her side. She let her eyes wander over his nudity for a moment before another pain traced the same path the first one did. This one wasn't as strong, but it was just as insistent. She must have grimaced. “Damn, I ain't ready.”

She cupped his cheek in her palm. She knew he was afraid, for her and for impending fatherhood. But she also knew she couldn't let him see that she knew. “Ready or not, this baby is.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, centering himself. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”

She smiled, loving how well he could transition from barely awake to totally in charge in seconds flat. So many people underestimated him, both as a man and as a leader in his own right. She was so very grateful that she'd never been fooled by his chem fueled persona herself.

“I need you to put some clothes on first,” she said with a teasing glint in her eye, stopping him in his tracks before he went out into the market naked as the day he was born. “Then I need you to tell Curie.”

He suited actions to her words, tugging on jeans and a flimsy tee shirt before he took off down the corridor towards the rest of the Castle. “Wait,” he cried, standing at the door of the Northwest Bastion. “You need anything right now?”

“Go on, babe. I'm gonna sit right here and breathe.” She decided against telling him he was barefoot. He'd figure it out himself. She wondered idly if anyone up and about the market at this early hour would even notice. And if they did, if they would guess that today was the day.

She lifted her Pip-Boy from the nightstand and turned it to the chronometer, measuring the time between pains. So far she'd only had two, and they'd been close together. She wouldn't start to really get anxious until they were less than five minutes apart consistently. But in her heart of hearts, she knew. This wasn't just a case of 'practice' contractions. Her baby was ready.

“General? May I come in?”

“Allie, is that you?” She'd completely forgotten. The Castle had guests. Allie Filmore, with a contingent of Coursers for security, had come from the airport to open a trade negotiation with some of the farmers. That meeting had been scheduled for today. “Come in.”

“I saw Hancock racing towards the medical lab and...” The older woman stopped in the doorway and took in Nora sitting on the edge of the bed, her breathing slow but labored as she worked through another contraction. “As I thought.”

“Six minutes,” Nora grated out between her teeth.

“What can I do for you?”

“I'd love some water, if you don't mind. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.”

Allie brought her a glass and set it in her hand. “Not too much, and not too fast. You know the drill.”

Nora snorted a laugh. “It's been a few years, but yeah...”

“Shall I sit with you?”

“Please.” The other woman pulled up a chair and sat, her face set in a calm demeanor. Allie always looked calm, Nora thought. “How was birth handled in the Institute?” Nora asked, mostly to keep her mind distracted as she watched the Pip-Boy chronometer.

“Mostly in our quarters. They were no more or less sterile an environment than the doctor's suite, and a good deal more private.” She smiled. “Quentin's birth was quite easy.”

“Shaun's was too. At least that's what they told me,” Nora replied. “It took a long time. though.”

“Are you...forgive me...are you expecting any complications?”

“Because Hancock is a ghoul? No. Curie has kept a very careful eye on me this whole time.” She grunted as another pain rippled across her belly. _Four minutes_. “I feel like I'm in good hands.”

“Madame,” Curie called from the corridor, as if summoned by her thoughts. “I am here.”

“How's Hancock?”

“I have sent Monsieur Hancock to wait for us in the infirmary. He is getting cleaned up.”

Nora nodded. Now she just had to get herself there. She didn't quite trust her legs to carry her all the way across the open market, but her alternative was to let someone carry her. She waited until her breath was caught and stood up, swaying slightly.

“Before we go, I would like to examine you, see how far you have progressed.”

“Oh, right.” She sat back down and maneuvered herself to a position where the synth doctor could look. Allie politely stood near her head, giving her what privacy she could. It occurred to Nora that this whole baby business was not going to do any favors to her dignity.

“Everything seems to be in good order,” Curie said, standing back up and helping her to sit upright again. “I think you will be able to make it to the infirmary on your own two feet.”

“Not that I have much choice in the matter.”

Curie grinned. “It is very exciting, no? I will go on ahead, if Chief Engineer Filmore can assist you.”

“That sounds fine, Curie. I'll see you over there.”

The synth rushed out as quickly as she'd come in, and Nora turned to Allie to help her stand.

“If it comes down to it, General, I can carry you. I'm quite strong you know.”

“I appreciate that, but let's just say I hope it doesn't come down to it.”

Allie chuckled. “Agreed.”

She managed, but only just barely. Twice now she'd had to lean against the walls to breathe as contractions rippled though her body. She felt pressure, too, low in her hips. Not exactly a feeling of wanting to push, but she knew that was coming.

Allie helped her the last few feet to Curie's lab and got her situated on a bed.

“Do you want me to stay?” the Institute engineer asked. Nora gripped her hand and nodded. As much as she loved Hancock and trusted Curie, it would be good to have another woman who had actually been through this process with her. Allie smiled and firmly squeezed her hand before letting go so she could wash up. Hancock was waiting on the other side of her, looking strange in a set of Curie's spare scrubs. She resisted the urge to laugh.

“How you holding up, daddy?” she asked instead.

“Uh...”

“Sounds about right.” She shifted around on the bed to get more comfortable and realized there was a small face missing. “Where's Shaun?”

“Preston saw me running and asked if he should keep Shaun occupied for now. I think they were going to go fishing.”

“Okay. Good.”

“Madame? If you are ready, I should give you a more thorough examination.” Curie stood waiting at the end of the bed, her face serene but excited. Nora nodded and pulled Hancock to her side, out of Curie's way. The synths hands were cool and precise, but she couldn't help grunting a little as Curie checked her out. Another contraction began before Curie was done and she stilled, waiting for it to pass. “How far apart have they been?”

“About six minutes or so.”

“Your water has not yet broken. I will give it an hour before I do it myself.”

“Okay.”

“I'm starting to feel like I don't want to be here for this,” Hancock said. Nora sliced a look his way, but saw that he was only teasing. There was a fierceness in his eyes, even black as they were, that told her he wasn't planning to miss a second of this.

“Welcome to the miracle of life,” she joked back, feeling the sweat start on the back of her neck. “It's all downhill from here.”

***

A thin cry sounded in the cramped infirmary. Nora lay back against Hancock, who helped her straighten her legs from the squat she'd been in to properly birth their baby. Curie took the infant and wiped its face, clearing the sinuses and giving a hurried examination of fingers and toes, eyes and ears and heartbeat.

She heaved for air, feeling one last contraction begin to expel the afterbirth. Curie was still fussing over the baby and Nora cleared her throat. “Don't keep us in suspense, Curie.”

The synth turned with a glorious smile on her face, the baby held swaddled in her arms. “Congratulations, Madame. It is a girl.”

She handed the swaddled bundle to Nora, who lay back against the pillows Hancock had stuffed behind her, propping her up so she was comfortable. The infant was quiet already, having announced herself in a most natural way and then falling content as she was wrapped tightly in soft blankets. Nora could see the line of her brow matched Hancock's, as well as the point in her tiny chin. It was too soon to know if her nose matched either of them, and her eyes were that fresh smoky blue that babies had before the color settled.

“My God,” Hancock breathed next to her, awe and fear tingeing his voice. He stroked the back on his finger down the baby's cheek and she turned towards it instinctively, her tiny bow of a mouth puckering up. “Nora...I have no idea what I'm doing. You know that, right?”

Allie Filmore smiled at the ghoul. “It's not so hard, Mayor. At this stage of life, babies are easy.”

“You wanna hold her?” Nora asked. She grinned at the sudden terror that raced across his face before he let it go and visibly stiffened his resolve.

He took the bundle, heeding the two women's advice on how to support her head and back in his arms. Nora felt an overwhelming feeling consume her as she looked at him cradling their baby. He was remarkably serene now that the child was actually in his arms, all previous fears gone as easily as if they'd been swept away by a breeze. She barely noticed Curie and Allie cleaning her up and sliding her legs under a light cover. She barely still felt the aftermath of pain from pushing this miracle out of her body.

“What will we name her?” Hancock asked, reverence in every syllable.

“Did you have any ideas about that?”

“Well...” He looked thoughtful and she was intrigued.

“Tell me, babe.”

“I was thinking...Natalie. Ya know, for your Nate. She...she wouldn't be here without him, well, without...”

Nora smiled gently. “That's a lovely idea.”

“What were you thinking?”

“I had a similar thought, actually. I know your mother's name was Martha. And _you_ wouldn't be here if...”

“Natalie Martha,” he said, seeing if it fit.

“Martha Natalie?” Nora tried.

Hancock nodded, decisive. “Marlie. For short.”

The baby didn't care either way, and started to fuss and root at Hancock's fingers. Nora laughed and took back her bundle, bringing her close to nurse. Curie and Allie had quietly left the infirmary and the only sounds around them now were those of the baby sucking greedily as soon as she latched on. Nora had forgotten what that feeling was like and both grimaced and unconsciously relaxed into the pillows.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah. It...takes some getting used to. Hey, while I do this, think you could rustle up Shaun? He must be bursting to meet his new sister.”

“Sure, Sunshine.” He stood up and watched for a moment before bending over and placing a tender kiss on her forehead. “Nora...thank you.”

“Thank _you_ , my love. I couldn't have done it all on my own, you know.”

He smirked and sauntered out of the infirmary in search of their son.

***

“ _For she's a Yankee Doodle dandy_

_Yankee Doodle, do or die_

_A real live daughter of Uncle Sam_

_Born on the fourth of July...”_

Nora stopped singing the improvised verse when she heard the clatter of Shaun's footsteps coming into the room and looked up to her son with a smile.

“What's a Yankee Doodle dandy?” he asked, without even stopping.

“It's just from a song, sweetie. From before the war.”

“Oh, so it's not like the snack cakes?”

Nora smiled again. “I dunno. She doesn't look much like a snack cake, does she?”

He peered over his mother's arm to the baby sleeping quietly against her chest. He grinned. “Strong would probably think she was.”

Nora struggled not to wake the baby as she laughed. “Probably.”

“She's so little.”

“For now.”

“Dad said you named her after his mom and my real father.”

“Yup. Martha Natalie. What do you think?”

“I think Marlie's gonna be easier to say.”

Nora looked over Shaun's head to see Hancock lounging against the door frame of the infirmary, gazing at them both like he was memorizing the scene. She beckoned him over and he slid in next to her on the gurney, where he could see his whole family.

“We're gonna need a bigger place soon,” he said.

“Dad,” Shaun scoffed with a grin. “We already have the whole Castle.”

“And the State House,” Nora put in.

“And the house in Sanctuary.”

“Guess we needed that old crib after all?” Nora said wistfully. Hancock kissed her brow again and smirked. Both of them remembered the conversation they had the day they brought Shaun out of the Institute and to Sanctuary. Nora had mourned then that there would be no babies for them. She had never been happier to be wrong. She could tell Hancock was thinking the same thing.

“It's all right, Sunshine. I'll build her a new one.”

“I can help,” Shaun exclaimed. Marlie opened her eyes at the sudden noise and started to wail. Nora laughed, rubbing her back and Hancock and Shaun looked at each other sheepishly.

“Don't worry, boys. She'll get used to you. Right, my little snack cake?” she crooned to the baby, who was settling down once more.

“We are _not_ calling her a snack cake,” Hancock stated firmly.

“At least not around Strong,” Shaun said, before he collapsed into giggles. Nora looked at the two – three – people she loved best and grinned. Sure, there were many things left undone in the Commonwealth, many things yet to oversee and lead out of the post apocalypse, but for now...

For now she was content. She nestled back into the pillows and let the two of them bicker good-naturedly like they always did. She stroked the fine hair of her daughter and closed her eyes.

It was a good way to spend the 4th of July.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to be marking this series as complete for now, with the possibility of a final fic for Labor Day (which would round out the year of holidays). If I don't, however, write anything more for this series, I want to thank each and every reader who stayed with it for the long haul. Heaps of kudos to you all.
> 
> And that's it for the universe of Junkyard Dogs.


End file.
